One fierce woman. One stubborn man. One Thanksgiving that neither will forget.
In the rural heart of the Ozark mountains, the fiercely determined Whitney Johnson will do whatever it takes to keep her little family safe and fed. With their father gone and winter closing in, she's spent the summer poaching game from the lands of one Maclede "Mac" Wainwright, gardening, fishing, and storing or canning everything she can get her hands on.
Now Thanksgiving is looming, and when Whitney attempts to "borrow" a turkey from the rich surplus of the one man she's been careful to avoid—the rugged cowboy who owns half the mountain—her luck finally runs out.
Mac Wainwright doesn't take kindly to thieves... until he discovers the "boy" he caught stealing his prize gobbler is actually a stubborn, beautiful young woman doing her best to protect her brother and sister. When he realizes she plans to stay in their small cabin home until spring, Mac's protective sense of duty and honor won't let him leave them to face the brutal winter alone.
His solution is simple—place Whitney under his protection and then marry her. But Whitney isn't sure she can trust her heart that quickly.
As winter settles over the Ozarks, her father's return brings whispers of scandal from town—rumors tying her name to Mac's. But it isn't gossip that unsettles Whitney the most; it's knowing Mac isn't offering just a season; he wants forever—right now. Can she surrender her fierce independence long enough to find out if love is worth the risk? Or let him walk away?
